9/15/2025 9:41:13 PM	CHLD 185.2 Course Outline as of Fall 2026	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  CHLD 185.2	Title:  CREATIVE OUTDOOR ENVIRON
Full Title:  Creative Outdoor Environments for Young Children
Last Reviewed:9/8/2025

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	1.50	Lecture Scheduled	1.50		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	26.25
Minimum	1.50	Lab Scheduled	0		4 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	1.50			Contact Total	26.25
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  52.50

Total Student Learning Hours: 78.75

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly:  CHLD 85.2

Catalog Description:

Research shows that spending time in the outdoors provides multiple benefits for children and adults, including changes in behavior, optimized physical development, and positive effects on mental health. During this course, students will examine appropriate and creative outdoor learning environments for young children, infants through school-age. Topics will include planning and assessment methods for environment design with an emphasis on environments that optimize children's connection with nature.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Course Eligibility for ENGL C1000 ( or ENGL 1A) OR Course Eligibility for EMLS 10 ( or ESL 10)

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

Research shows that spending time in the outdoors provides multiple benefits for children and adults, including changes in behavior, optimized physical development, and positive effects on mental health. During this course, students will examine appropriate and creative outdoor learning environments for young children, infants through school-age. Topics will include planning and assessment methods for environment design with an emphasis on environments that optimize children's connection with nature.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Course Eligibility for ENGL C1000 ( or ENGL 1A) OR Course Eligibility for EMLS 10 ( or ESL 10)
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:		Inactive:
Area:
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
CSU Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Both Certificate and Major Applicable

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Explain and evaluate elements of high quality outdoor learning/play environments for children birth through age eight.

2. Apply knowledge about the importance of outdoor play to the design of children's play spaces and outdoor curriculum.

 

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Understand the history and types of outdoor programs.

2. Explain the developmental benefits of outdoor play and time spent in nature.

3. Describe elements of high quality outdoor play environments.

4. Plan and evaluate children's outdoor learning environments using current design and safety standards.

5. Identify ways to meet the developmental needs of different age groups (birth through age eight) and individual children through environmental design in early childhood settings.

6. Utilize parents and community stakeholders to effect changes in school and neighborhood outdoor environments.

7. Create age-appropriate curriculum in the outdoor environment.

Topics and Scope

I. Importance of Outdoor Play

    A. History of outdoor play in early childhood programs

         1. Changes in outdoor play over time

         2. Joe Frost's theory of playground design

         3. Adventure playgrounds

         4. Nature-based outdoor play yards

    B.  Benefits of outdoor play

         1. Meeting developmental needs

         2. Promoting health and exercise

         3. Connecting with the natural world

              a. Nature Deficit Disorder

              b. Environmentalism

              c. Developmental benefits of spending time outdoors

         4. Risk taking and social skills

     C. Outdoor school programs - Nature-based schools

         1. Nature-enhanced schools

         2.  Forest schools

II. Design of Outdoor Play Spaces

    A. Current playground safety standards

         1. Consumer Product Safety Commission

         2. Home based playground requirements

         3. California Community Care Licensing (Title 22)

         4. Insurance considerations

         5. California Educational Code requirements

    B. Age appropriate environment design

         1. Environments for Infants

         2.  Environments for Toddlers and Twos

         3. Environments for Preschool

         4. Environments for School-Age Children

    C. Universal Design elements for inclusion of children with special needs

    D. Use of space that supports play

         1. Sociodramatic play

         2. Constructive play

         3. Exploratory play

         4. Sensory play

         5. Social play

         6. Games with rules

    E. Appropriate and innovative equipment and materials

         1. Commercial

         2. Natural

    F. Supportive environments for caregivers/teachers

    G. Incorporating gardens and other natural elements

         1. Aesthetics

         2. Safety

         3. Maintenance

    H. Supervision as a design consideration

III. Planning for Environment Changes

    A. Assessment of outdoor learning environments

         1. Choosing tools to address design and safety factors

         2. Using assessment tools

    B. Layout of space and activity zones

    C. Steps in planning for large scale playground building

    D. Working with stakeholders

IV. Curriculum for Outdoor Environments

    A. Planning for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)

          1. Gardens

         2. Sensory Play

    B. Planning for active play

         1. Games, equipment and loose parts

         2. Social and emotional development

    C. Planning for arts, music and literacy outdoors

    D. Planning for outdoor dramatic play

Assignments:

1. Reading of assigned text and handouts (approximately 150 pages total)

2. Participation in class activities and/or online discussion activities.

 

Writing, Problem Solving and Skill Demonstration Assignments, such as:

1. Choose and assess an outdoor environment using a standardized rating scale with written evaluation based on the rating scale assessment (approximately 2000 words)

2. Create and document changes to the design of an outdoor environment (Written paper [approximately 2000 words] or presentation)

3. Plan for long-term changes to an outdoor environment, including design diagram, description (3-5 pages), and presentation

4. Written curriculum plan(s) for outdoor activities (1-3 papers, approximately 1500 words each)

5. Written reflection(s) on readings (1-4 papers, approximately 1000 words each)

6. Written rationale for the importance of outdoor play (approximately 750 words)

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 50 - 60%
Evaluation of a learning environment, curriculum plan, rationale for the importance of outdoor play, description of environment design, reading refection(s)
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 10 - 15%
Create and document changes to outdoor environment
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 20 - 30%
Design an outdoor environment; assessment of an environment using standardized rating scale; presentations
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 0 - 0%
None
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 10 - 20%
Class participation; discussions

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Designs for Living and Learning: Transforming Early Childhood Environments. 2nd ed.  Curtis, Deb and Carter, Margie. Redleaf Press. 2014. (classic).

The Great Outdoors: Advocating for Natural Spaces for Young Children (Revised Edition). Rivkin, Mary and Schein, Deborah. NAEYC. 2014. (classic).

Instructor prepared materials

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